Microsoft’s Terry Myerson senses no urgency with iOS, calls Android ‘a mess,’ says WP8 is most successful in non-subsidized markets

Microsoft's Terry Myerson senses 'urgency' with iOS, calls Android 'a mess,' says WP8 is most successful in nonsubsidized markets

Terry Myerson, who took over as corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Windows Phone division following Andy Lees’ departure in 2011, is helping to kick off the second day of D: Dive Into Mobile here in New York City. Right out of the gate, host Ina Fried asked where Windows Phone is seeing the most success. The response?

“When you think about the world, there are markets where operators are subsidizing phones, and then there are markets where they aren’t. We’re seeing the most success in markets where operators are not subsidizing the phone. What happens in the subsidized market — the market that Apple and Samsung have chosen to focus on — is that the best innovation happens in the $650 product that’s sold for $200. For us, the momentum we’re building is with building a phone we can offer for less than $650 [unsubsidized]. Getting to 20 percent share in Mexico or Poland, that’s the opportunity.”

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Skype 2.5 update for Windows Phone 8 sheds the preview label

Skype 25 update for Windows Phone 8 sheds the preview label

Despite steadily advancing in version numbers, Skype for Windows Phone 8 has remained in a preview state for the past few months. It’s time for the app to enter the big leagues with its 2.5 update. The release is the first to drop the preview tag, mostly by fixing notable bugs with both video geometry as well as crashes when signing in with a Microsoft account. Frequent chatters may like that message notifications for Messenger friends are now active by default. There is one word of warning for HTC 8X owners: they’ll need the latest firmware to avoid a flaw that silences the microphone. Provided that’s no obstacle, though, we’d suggest swinging by the Windows Phone Store if you’re at all interested in Microsoft’s official mobile VoIP suite.

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Via: Skype, Joe Belfiore (Twitter)

Source: Windows Phone Store

Nokia Lumia 928 spied for Verizon Wireless

Nokia Lumia 928 for spied for Verizon Wireless

How does a US carrier get around AT&T’s exclusivity of the Lumia 920? Why, it releases an exclusive of its own, of course. News of the Lumia 928 is probably familiar to many of you, which has been rumored (and spotted in inventory systems) as an upscale Windows Phone for Verizon. Now, things just got real, as @evleaks has just released the first glimpse of the Lumia 928, and adorned in black, we’re quite sure that Batman would approve. Naturally, Big Red’s branding adorns both the front and back of the device, but at least there’s a modicum of restraint. This being Nokia’s second Windows Phone outing on Verizon, we’re crossing our fingers that the phone was spared a beating with the ugly stick. We’ll reserve judgment until we can get our grubby mitts on one.

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

Nokia Lumia 720 starts shipping, costs £300 prepaid at O2 UK

Nokia Lumia 720 launches worldwide, available for free on O2 UK

Nokia courted fashionistas back at Mobile World Congress with the Lumia 720, and it’s ready to embrace them more fully now that the slim Windows Phone is rolling out to its first countries. We’ve already seen it launch in Australia and the UK, where it’s available for free when subscribing to relatively frugal postpaid plans of either $29 AUD (on Virgin Mobile Australia) or £22 (on O2 UK); Brits can also spend £300 at O2 to use the phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Other countries will get their units in short order, including Italy next week (for €349 off-contract) and Russia. As a reminder, it’s not coming to the US in an official capacity: while the mid-tier device made a visit to the FCC, the absence of LTE largely precludes American carrier deals. Some of us will have to gaze on the Lumia 720 from afar as a result, but many of those craving the most stylish of Nokia smartphones can get some satisfaction very shortly.

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Via: All About Windows Phone

Source: O2 UK, Virgin Mobile Australia

Netflix for Windows Phone 8 updated with support for 720p displays

DNP Netflix for Windows Phone 8 updated with 720p display support

After months of being wrapped in black bars, Netflix has updated its Windows Phone 8 app with fullscreen support for devices wielding native 720p displays. While this update doesn’t add HD video playback, it definitely improves the app’s image quality for phones with hi-res screens. So, if you’re sporting a top-shelf WP8 device and you’re looking to take full advantage of your display’s real estate, head on over to our source link to pull down this 2MB refresh.

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Via: The Digital Lifestyle

Source: Windows Phone Store

Viber for Windows Phone 8 update adds free VoIP calling with HD audio

DNP Viber for Windows Phone 8 updated with free VoIP calling with HD audio

After several months as a watered down messaging app, Viber for Windows Phone 8 is finally catching up to its Android and iOS counterparts. Starting today, the redesigned VoIP application now supports free calls with HD audio, lock screen notifications and the ability to pin conversations to your Start screen. This Metro modern UI version of Viber also includes photo sharing and group conversations with up to 40 participants. So, if your call plan is running low on minutes and the latest version of Skype just isn’t cutting the mustard, head on over to the source link to give this free VoIP software a whirl.

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Via: Windows Phone Blog

Source: Windows Phone Store

Zinio magazine app heads to Windows Phone 8 as a Lumia exclusive

Zinio magazine app heads to Windows Phone 8 as a Lumia exclusive

Zinio’s magazine app for tablets and smartphones has already found its way onto quite a few platforms (even some now-defunct ones), and it looks like it’ll soon be heading to yet another — at least partially. The company announced today that its Windows Phone 8 app will be available in the coming weeks, although you’ll need a Nokia Lumia phone to use it. Yes, this is yet another exclusive deal for a popular app, but if past history is any indication you can likely expect it to hit other devices sometime after the initial rollout. As TechCrunch notes, Zinio is also using its venture onto Windows Phone to branch out a bit from its traditional focus, with the the new app able to pull content from multiple sources into a reading list — as opposed to simply letting you jump from one magazine to the next. You’ll also expectedly get WP8 live tile support, as well as what Zinio describes as “improved text mode support” to make reading on a smartphone-sized screen a bit easier.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Zinio

MOGA to support Kindle Fire and Windows Phone 8, $50 Pro controller slated for April 15th

DNP MOGA to let developers port games over to Amazon and Windows Phone 8 platforms, Pro controller available for $50 on April 15th

After nearly six months on the market, the MOGA Bluetooth-powered gaming controller is finally ready to open up its Android-restricted doors. We were told at the Game Developers Conference that starting today, developers can add MOGA support to Kindle Fire and Windows Phone 8 games, thus marking the device’s first foray outside of the Google Play ecosystem. Consumers shouldn’t get too excited by this announcement just yet, however, as this is just a call for developers — it’ll still be awhile until we see MOGA-compatible Kindle Fire and Windows Phone 8 games pop up on that MOGA Pivot app. In the meantime, we also learned that the MOGA Pro controller we saw at CES will be available in stores starting April 15th for $50 a pop, so hopefully those newly-ported apps will be ready by then.

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Uber lands on Windows Phone, expands its on-demand car service dominance

Uber lands on Windows Phone, expands its ondemand car service dominance

Windows Phone owners can finally enjoy all the benefits of Uber and order cabs on demand through their own native app. The basic features are all present, just presented in the stark color blocks and straight lines Microsoft favors. You’ll need to have either version 7.5 or 8 of the OS installed to download the app and, of course, you’ll need to live in a city where the service is available to take advantage. The expansion to Windows Phone follows last week’s quiet debut on BlackBerry (which the company only announced today), though it’s currently only available on older devices and not compatible with BlackBerry 10. It was also just last week that Uber launched a redesigned Android client that was rebuilt from the ground up with improved performance, Foursquare integration and a fare estimator. It seems like Uber is looking to establish an insurmountable lead in the market before any competitors get any grand ideas.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Uber

United app lands on Windows Phone 8, hopes to become your preferred travel companion

United app lands on Windows Phone 8, hopes to become your preferred travel companion

The United Airlines application’s been available on Android and iOS for ages, and, after months of being nowhere to be found, it’s now (finally) time for the Windows Phone 8 crowd to also get to experience what the mobile ware has to offer. Naturally, this means being able to access and peek many things from within the app, including, but not limited to, booking trips, checking flight status, Live Tile notifications and, of course, viewing your digital boarding pass — which is good news for those who prefer a mostly paperless voyage. There’s plenty more goodies where that came from (such as account access and a feature that pinpoints United Club locations), but you’ll have to download the app in order to dig a little deeper — link to do just that is down below.

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Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Windows Phone